WA Senator calls for helicopter patrols to stop illegal fishing

The World Today - Wednesday, 28 September , 2005 12:24:00

Reporter: Catherine McGrath

TANYA NOLAN: West Australian Liberal Senator Alan Eggleston has called for helicopter patrols and increased surveillance along Australia's coastline.

The call coincides with new reports that illegal Indonesian fishing crews are disembarking and making camps on the coast, bringing with them dogs, cats and monkeys that pose a quarantine risk to Australia.

Senator Eggleston has questioned the wisdom of the Federal Government's decision to relocate Commonwealth Fisheries inspectors from Broome and Perth to Darwin.

He says there is a serious risk that the fishing boats and the animals on board carry exotic diseases, like foot and mouth disease, rabies and Newcastle disease, that could threaten particularly the Kimberly cattle industry.

ALAN EGGLESTON: This has been an issue in the Kimberly over the last 30 years, because people in the pastoral industry are concerned that Indonesian fishing boats often have animals on board, which might carry exotic animal and plant diseases like foot and mouth disease, rabies, Newcastle disease in the case of the chickens they have on board, and as well there is the question of exotic plant diseases.

CATHERINE MCGRATH: The latest reports have evidence that some of these Indonesian fishermen have been making beach camps. What impact do you think that would have on the bird flu threat?

ALAN EGGLESTON: Well, as I said there's been a long-held concern about Newcastle disease, which is an avian virus disease and were avian flu to become more widespread in Indonesia, then that would have to be a concern as well.

CATHERINE MCGRATH: Now as a West Australian Senator, what sort of concerns have you raised to the ministers involved?

ALAN EGGLESTON: Well for a long time I've supported the need for increased patrol boat presence on the north-west coast and we… I still support that.

Even though the Government has announced that there will be a patrol boat base established in Dampier, I'm concerned that with these reports of Indonesian fisherman camping on the coast, that the fears of the Kimberly cattle industry in particular must be paid more regard and that we should have increased surveillance and a faster response time from patrol boats to intercept these people and take them away from Australian shores.

CATHERINE MCGRATH: There are also moves by the Federal Government to removed fisheries inspectors from Broome and Perth and move them to Darwin. Is that going to have an effect?

ALAN EGGLESTON: Well at the moment there's great concern about very organised, Indonesian fishing groups coming into the south Kimberly coast fishing for shark and it seems that these boats all have a mother ship outside Australian territorial waters and they're high speed boats, they come in in groups, they fish for shark and then take the shark fin in particular out to the mother ship where it's refrigerated.

And I would've thought that there was a very strong case for maintaining fishery inspectors based in Broome who could inspect these fishing boats, Indonesian fishing boats and deal with them. Darwin is a long way away from Broome.

CATHERINE MCGRATH: In general, do you feel there are just too little resources, because it is very difficult, isn't it, for those Fremantle class ships to try and really track down and capture these illegal fishing boats.

ALAN EGGLESTON: There's certainly a need for a faster response time and that means more resources along the upper Pilbara and southern Kimberly coasts.

One would've thought consideration might be given to perhaps a helicopter response group based at the Curtin air base near Derby and certainly to maintaining the existing levels of patrol boats presence on the Kimberly coast and most certainly not reducing them.